Karamu Festivities began after researching festivals and rituals in different parts of the world both modern and ancient. It became evident how rituals and festivities serve to unite us as human beings no matter the country. It seems we all love a party!

Migratory Route

Describes the annual migration of giraffes and wild animals across the Serengeti plains of Africa. The more obscure symbols and shadow shapes represent some of the hazards involved in this trek. The bottom figure is the casual observer. This figure observes and asks what impulse sets this migration in motion and stands in awe of this unique spectacle. This printmaking paper was moistened and crushed to create the lines and ridges of its surface. Textured rice paper was then applied and melded to the printmaking paper.

Lord Of The Beast

Relates to who holds power in the realm of the beasts. The shamanic figure on the left represents that power. The Bubalus with its robust stature and 90 cm horns may appear formidable but it is no match for this Lord who quietly subdues a female kudu. Hunting parties cannot themselves manage to shackle the beast.

This is a huge engraving of a Bubalus from Messak, Libya. The bubalus, which became extinct about 500 years ago, is thought to have been a relative of the American buffalo. The bottom figure is a a profile of a kudu antelope in Tanzania.

The Silent One

Relates to who holds power in the realm of the beasts. The shamanic figure on the left represents that power. The Bubalus with its robust stature and 90 cm horns may appear formidable but it is no match for this Lord who quietly subdues a female kudu. Hunting parties cannot themselves manage to shackle the beast.

This is a huge engraving of a Bubalus from Messak, Libya. The bubalus, which became extinct about 500 years ago, is thought to have been a relative of the American buffalo. The bottom figure is a a profile of a kudu antelope in Tanzania.

Initiation Rites

Initiation Rites’s title gives the focus of this painting. While in South Africa I read about the initiation rites that are common for young Xhosa boys to prove their manhood. Apart from circumcision, the initiates also endure a two week period of seclusion as they enter adulthood. In the Bapedi tribe of South Africa initiation is considered necessary for the individual to be regarded as a full member of the tribe. Some initiations can take about 3-4 months to complete.

Equus I

What first impresses us about “Equus I” is the beauty and simplicity of the linework. The artist who created this “Circus Horse” demonstrated his competence and mastery of pigment application and line making the viewer’s eye travel around the amply shaped horse. Using a well known technique of incomplete lines he allows the viewer’s eye to fill in the missing lines.

Ballantyne Gallery

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Teyjah now calls Salmon Arm in British Columbia, home. She holds a Masters in Art Education and has worked for Golden Artist Colors as a working Artist, presently she is working in their Artist Education Program. Teyjah has studied with a long list of international artists including Gerald Brommer, Donna Baspaly, Frank Webb and Mary Todd-Beam. As an accredited member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA), her work has been collected internationally, locally and has been featured in acrylic North Light books.

Visit Ballantyle Gallery for more information. You will also be able to purchase one of Teyjah's original paintings.

Welcome to Modern Cave Paintings

Please enjoy these paintings of cave wall petroglyphs created by BC artist Teyjah McAren. These pieces include acrylics on paper as well as works of highly texturized, wall-sized images of prehistoric animals and people created with acrylic gels. Explore a realm of mystery and symbolism. Take a journey through time and places unknown. Visit Teyjah’s video blog for much more information about her art.

“My paintings represent my own struggle to understand the mysterious and my own search for meaning..”

Discover prehistoric animals and people through cave wall paintings and petroglyphs. These works of art are steeped in the mythology and symbolism of the ancient people such as the Anasazi in the American Southwest and the People of the Eland and San Bushmen of Africa. As Teyjah experiences emotions walking among the caves and canyons of these mysterious lands, she paints what she feels. She is interested in symbols, rock art, and cave petroglyphs of the American Southwest. Exploring Chaco Canyon, Bandelier, Mesa Verde, and Canyon de Chelly, she was struck by the solitude and mystery of these places. Her feelings were only enhanced as she later discovered parallels in the rocky terrain of South Africa and of the signs that the indigenous cultures had left behind in the stone.